A common information model (CIM) toolkit framework implemented in Java

The common information model (CIM) is an object-oriented representation of a power system and is used primarily as a data exchange format for power system operational control systems. CIM has the potential to be used as much more than an intermediary exchange language. This paper explores the possible use of CIM as the core of a power systems analytical toolkit for storing, processing, extracting, and exchanging data directly from CIM objects. To this end, this paper discusses solutions to some of the challenges in storing and processing large power system network models as native Java objects without sacrificing reliability and robustness. This paper highlights the advantages provided by such a system when dealing with extensions to the CIM standard and overcoming the problems posed with simultaneously maintaining backward compatibility without sacrificing a higher level of detail. This paper also addresses the issue of data processing performance in contrast to other approaches.